


here in the clouds

by brandnewfashion



Category: Captain Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, New Avengers (Comics), Spider-Man (Comicverse)
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Friendship/Love, heart-to-hearts are always nice, it's purely platonic, until it kind of isn't?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2013-03-21
Packaged: 2017-12-06 01:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/729946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandnewfashion/pseuds/brandnewfashion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a night of chasing street thugs, Peter finds Carol sitting on top of an abandoned warehouse in Queens. </p><p>(Takes place a few months after Carol's appearance in Avenging Spider-Man.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	here in the clouds

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by [a post I made on tumblr](http://brandnewfashion.tumblr.com/post/45638645057/peter-parker-carol-danvers-you-werent) a few days ago. 
> 
> I see Peter and Carol in a brother-sister relationship more than a romantic one, and they're quickly becoming my brotp. I thought it would be interesting to also explore the more "romantic" side of their relationship.

“What are you doing up here?”

Carol didn’t have to look over to see who the newcomer was. “Hi, Peter,” she greeted.  

Said web-slinger slipped off his mask before sitting down next to the blonde. “So.”

“So?” Carol’s lips curved upwards into a smile.

Peter chuckled. “Are we really doing this again?”

She shook her head. “I was just up here thinking.” 

He nodded and they both looked out at the sight before them: New York always looked better at night.  Manhattan was constantly bustling with activity, but Queens never failed to provide a level of comfort to Peter: it was, after all, where he grew up.  From the top of the abandoned warehouse that they were sitting on, they had a clear view of the Manhattan skyline, but the noises of the city were too far to be heard.

Carol’s voice broke through his reverie. “What about you?”  

“I always come up here to think,” he replied with a shrug. “Been coming up here for years.”

“I can see why; it’s beautiful,” the blonde observed. “You’re from around here, right?”

“Yep.  My aunt and uncle’s old house is a couple of blocks down.” He gestured to behind him. "I come here every night. Good place to get away from all the madness."

"Did you just stop a car-thief or something?" Carol asked, noticing a slight tear in the arm of his costume.

"Bank robber." He looked down at his arm and finally noticed the rip himself. "Aw, man. I just stitched this up last night!"

"You do your own sewing?"

He looked at her, perplexed. "Doesn't everyone?"

Carol merely shrugged: there was no way that she was going to let him know about her lack of domestic skills.

"Why're _you_ still in costume?" asked Peter.

"No reason," she told him. "There haven't been any alien invasions or anything lately, so it's been pretty quiet. I was just out flying."

They remained in companionable silence as they continued to look out over the water.

“Hey, why aren’t you ‘ _Colonel_ Marvel?’” Peter asked out of the blue.

Carol looked at him incredulously. “You _do_ realize how absolutely ridiculous that sounds, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess, but you’re also talking to the guy who named himself ‘Spider-Man’ when he was fifteen,” Peter pointed out, “so I’m not exactly the ambassador for superhero names…   _But_ ,I do know that you’ve had your fair share of name changes, so why this one?”

“Cap insisted.”

“You still didn’t have to take it.”

“Yeah, but… This at least gives me something to work for.”

“What?”

Carol chuckled at Peter’s puzzled expression. “What I’m saying is: there are so many extraordinary people that have taken the name, and they’ve all done a lot of good with it.”  She paused a moment, debating on whether to continue telling him. “I know that I’m probably never going to be able to live up to the legacy, and honestly, sometimes I wonder if I’m worthy enough to have taken the mantle at all,” she looked down at her hands, “but now, I know that I’m constantly going to push myself so I don’t let any of them down.”

“You don’t—” Peter cleared his throat, “You don’t have to live up to anything, y’know.  You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Carol, you’re already an amazing hero.  You—”

“I… I almost let a little girl die today.”  Her voice was so inaudible, Peter almost didn’t hear her.

He tentatively reached out and covered her hand with his. “Carol…”

“I got too confident,” she continued. “I… If Iron Man hadn’t shown up…” she broke off. “I don’t even want to know what would’ve happened.”

“But she’s okay, now.”

“I know, and I know that I should be thankful for that,” Carol replied. “But I should’ve been able to handle something as simple as that on my own.  I’m grateful for the rest of you, don’t get me wrong, but I won’t ever be able to make a name for myself if I keep making stupid mistakes like that.”

Peter had never seen her so vulnerable and open before.  He had always known her to have a commandeering presence (something he attributed to being in the military).  He had never heard her speak so negatively about herself, and frankly, it was more than a little concerning.

She took a deep breath before continuing, “With the Avengers, I was known as ‘Captain America’s _secretary_.’  And now that I’ve tried making a new name for myself, I feel like I’m under constant scrutiny.  It’s like everyone’s just waiting for me to mess up… It’s like—”

“Like they’re waiting for you to fail,” Peter said quietly.

Surprised, she turned to look at the brunette. “I’m sorry, Peter.  I’m being callous again.”

He waved it off. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” she said with a frown. “I’m complaining about my life to someone who probably has more significant problems.”

“Really, it’s fine,” Peter assured. “I’ve been doing this superhero thing for half my life.  I’ve learned to deal with it.”

Carol was a little bothered by her companion’s nonchalance.  Sure, she had always been aware of Peter’s jokes and sarcasm, but she (as well as others) have learned to not take him too seriously.  However, she didn’t realize until then that maybe it was more of a defense mechanism than a cry for attention.

“How?”

Peter looked at her curiously. “How do I what?”

How was he able to deal with all of the negative attention that he got as Spider-Man?  How could he just shrug it all off and make jokes about it?  “How do you do it?” she clarified.

Peter thought for a few moments before responding.  “I guess… I guess after being in this business for so long, I’ve realized there are more important things to worry about than my reputation.  I hate calling myself a ‘superhero’ because I honestly don’t believe that I _am_ one: I just try to be the best ‘Spider-Man’ that _I_ can be.”

Of course, Carol had already known that… Or she’d at least heard others say more-or-less the same thing.  But the difference between then and every other time she had heard those words was that she never had an actual legacy to uphold.

Then again, she did this to herself.  She knew from the start that taking the name would entail a number of other responsibilities, but—

“But for the record,” Peter said, interrupting her thoughts.  He looked thoughtful.  “ _You_ make a great superhero.”

Carol actually _blushed_ at that (she hoped the red of her costume didn’t bring it out that much).  “I-I really don’t…”

“Don’t be so modest.  Everyone knows ‘Carol Danvers.’”

“Yeah, as an alcoholic that was kicked off the Avengers.”

“Everyone goes through difficult times,” Peter said, simply.  “No one thinks any less of you.”

She looked at him empathetically.  “Y’know, maybe you should start taking your own advice.”

Peter looked at her skeptically.  “There’s a difference between you and me—”

“And I already told you that none of that matters,” Carol interjected.  “You’re just as much a ‘superhero’ as everyone else.  You’re just as much an Avenger as everyone else.  Other than Cap and Logan, there really aren’t that many others that have been doing this as long as you,” she pointed out.

Peter shrugged. “So what if I had my powers longer?”

Carol shook her head.  “I’m not just talking about powers,” she clarified.  “The team has nothing but the utmost respect for you, Peter.  Steve trusts you—”

“Doesn’t he think I’m a spaz?”

“Being a spaz has nothing to do with trust,” Carol said affectionately.

“So I _am_ a spaz,” he said deadpan.

“Anyway" she continued, ignoring him, "Tony would probably go crazy if he didn’t have someone there to talk all of that science stuff with.  And as much as Logan denies it, I know he likes having you around.”

“What about you?” Peter inquired.

“What about me?”

“What do _you_ think of me?” he pressed.

She smiled. “I like you here in the clouds with us.”

Peter remembered the first time she had told him that.  Unfortunately, a major battle was taking place simultaneously, so he never had the time to dwell on it. 

He took a deep breath. “Please don’t punch me in the face for doing this.”

Before Carol could question him, Peter leaned in and kissed her.  It was an innocent kiss, really—soft and sweet—but when Peter pulled away, she decided that it was over way too fast.

“Um…” She blinked. “Uh…” Why couldn’t she think of anything intelligent to say?  

Peter rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. “Ah, sorry…”

Carol shook her head. “Don’t be.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before Peter spoke again. “So…”

“So?”

“Is this… weird?” He gestured to her and then himself.

“Not really…?” She honestly didn’t know what to think of it.

“I kind of wanna kiss you again,” he stated.

“Kind of?” she repeated.

“I want to,” Peter clarified, “but I don’t know if you’ll end up vaporizing me or something… worse.”

She smirked. “Why don’t you find out, Parker?”

He moved closer. “This is… probably a bad idea.”  He slowly backed away.  

Carol visibly deflated and looked away. “I should get going anyway,” she announced.  However, she made no move to get up.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Peter defended.

She turned back to face him and arched an eyebrow. “Then what—?”

Peter nervously scrubbed his hand through his hair.  “I—I uh, it’s, um… still kind of early… and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving…”

“Peter Parker, are you asking me on a date?” Carol asked.

He nodded. “Well, I figured since our last one was interrupted, we could give it another shot.”

“That’s thoughtful of you.”

“Also, I know that you’ve been waiting for me to ask,” Peter said off-handedly. “Although I have no idea why you didn’t just call me.  This tactic seems to be a little over-the-top, even for you.”

Carol’s eyes widened comically, which made Peter double over in laughter.  She turned away from him (she mainly did it to look indignant, but hiding her blush from Peter was also a plus).  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, you don’t.”  Peter leaned in closer.  “Why would you be sitting on the roof of an abandoned warehouse in Queens if you weren’t waiting for me?”

She turned her head to face him again, and realized that his face was only inches away from hers. “What if I was waiting for another spider-powered superhero?”

“Do I have competition?  Is there another nerdy, awkward, science geek that I should be worried about?”

“He’s more of a dork than a geek.”

Peter looked at her pointedly. “Is he now?”

“Yes, but I do admit that he _is_ rather intelligent.”

“Always an important trait,” he approved.  

“He’s really dedicated to his work.”

Peter nodded in agreement.  “I like a good work ethic.” 

“And he cares about everyone around him.”

“Sounds like a swell guy.”

“Oh, he really is.”

“Is he attractive?” Peter inquired.

“He’s all right,” she answered with a shrug.  She laughed when Peter scowled.

Peter stood up and scanned their surroundings. “Well, since it doesn’t look like this guy is going to show up tonight,” he held his hand out towards the blonde, “would you be interested in grabbing a bite to eat with me?”

“I’d love to,” she replied, taking his hand and getting up.

Peter then moved to stand next to her before wrapping his arm around her waist.

“Uh, Peter, what are you doing?” she asked, not that she was complaining about the contact.

“Did you really expect us to walk all the way downtown?”

“I can fly, you know,” she stated.

“Yeah, I know,” Peter replied, “but this time, _you’re_ the girl on the date.”

“Oh?” Carol teased.  She slipped her arm around his waist as well. “So I don’t have to pay this time, huh?”

“Nope.” Peter grinned at her. “But I hope you’re ready to put out.”

Without warning, Peter jumped off the building and swung them through the streets of the quiet neighborhood, the sound of Carol’s melodic laughter trailing after them. 


End file.
